Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak (Pekan-BN) told Parliament this morning that cabinet has decided to make Sept 16 a public holiday.

"Cabinet has decided to make Sept 16 a public holiday. Henceforth, we will celebrate two national days.

"Merdeka day will be celebrated on Aug 31 to remind us of our struggle for independence from the colonialists while Malaysia Day will be celebrated to strengthen unity, understanding among races, our achievements and other aspects of our socio-cultural fabric," said Najib.

On Sept 16,1963, Malaysia was formed with the union of Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore with Malaya to establish a new federation while Malaya obtained independence from Great Britain on Aug 31, 1957. Singapore later left the federation in 1965.

He was responding to a question from Datuk Dr Marcus Mojigoh (Putatan–BN) on the extent of the people’s response to the slogan "We stand, we think and act as Malaysians – one people" and the programmes to be held to achieve the aspiration.

Najib said since he became prime minister some six months ago, he had introduced the concept of 1Malaysia.

"With a national unity, the country can become more stable, strong and peaceful," said Najib.

"In short, the 1Malaysia concept stresses on acceptance and respect for one another’s cultural differences, reinforces the unity based on the Federal Constitution and Rukun Negara.

"And the third point is on social justice, where all Malaysians will be defended especially the groups which need help," he added.

The prime minister said another aspect of the campaign involves instilling a high performance culture among the people.

According to him, the government has also introduced key performance indices for the various ministries to ensure that people’s issues are given priority.